Timeline
Timeline of the Middle-earth film saga. Major events with regards to the film series are stressed in Bold. Years of the Lamps This Age lasted 3500 Valian years, which equates to as many as 33,537 Sun years. * 1: Creation of Ea, the universe, by Eru and the Ainur, who became Guardian spirits of the World. T'he mightiest Vala, Melkor, rebels' against his bretheren and becomes the Dark Lord. * 1-1500: War between the Valar and Melkor, ending with the latter's flight. * 1900: The Valar create two Lamps which illuminate the world, the Spring of Arda begins. * 3450: Melkor returns and topples the Lamps. The shape of the world is changed in the catacylsm. Middle-earth - the landmass between Valinor to the west, and the Lands of the Sun to the East - is formed. The Valar take residence in the western continent of Valinor. Years of the Trees This Age lasted 1500 Valian years, or 14,373 Sun Years. * 1''': The Valar fashion two luminous trees to illuminate their land in lieu of the Lamps. * '''1050: The Valier Queen, Varda, fashions the Stars to illuminate Middle Earth. The first Elves wake at the shores of lake Cuivienen in the East. Some are captured by Melkor's servants, and through mutilation and corruption, are turned into Orcs. * 1090: The Valar, learning of the Elves' predicament, wage war against Melkor, * 1100: Utumnu destroyed and Melkor captured by the Valar. Many of his minions, led by the corrupted Maia Sauron, survive within the stronghold of Angband. Melkor is imprisoned. * 1105: T'he Elves, invited to Valinor, are sundered'. The Avari, refusing to leave, stay in the east around Cuivienen. The Silvan Elves (or Wood Elves), refusing to cross the Misty Mountains, stay in the Greenwood and Lorinand. Three groups of Elves pressed on - Vanyar under Inwe, Noldor under Finwe and Teleri under Elwe and Olwe. * 1132: The Isle of Tol Eressea is mobilized by the Valar to transport the Vanyar and Noldor across the sea to Valinor. Some Elves, renamed Sindar, remain in Beleriand. They are joined by some Wood Elves who travel to Beleriand. The Noldor and Vanyar construct Eldamar in Valinor. Finwe is crowned High-King of the Elves. The Teleri reside in Tol Eressea, by the shores of Valinor. * 1152: Elwe, having met the Maia Melian, becomes king of the Sindar. Cirdan rules the Elves resides on the Beleriand shoreline. * 1169: Feanor is born to Finwe, High King of the Noldor. * 1400: Melkor is released and befriends the Noldor. * 1450: Feanor, the greatest Elven smith, forges the three Silmarils, hallowed gems, whic hare coveted by Melkor. He also forges the Palantiri and, by the influence of Melkor, the first weapons ever forged in Valinor. * 1490: Feanor threatens his step-brother, Fingolfin, with his sword and is exiled to Formenos, followed by his kin. Melkor tries to turn him against the Valar, but Feanor repels him. He seeks Ungoliant, the Spider of Night, which resides in the South of Valinor. * 1495: Ungoliant destroys the Two Trees while Melkor steals the Silmarils and slays Finwe. They flee to Beleriand. Melkor goes to Angband while Ungoliant, chased by his Balrogs after a disagreement about the Silmarils, goes to the Southern continent. Feanor begins a rebellion, joined by many of the Noldor who take an oath to let nothing stand in their way to retrieve the Silmarils. Letting none stand in his way, he leads a massacre of the Elves in the harbour of Alqaulonde and takes their ships to pursue Melkor against the wishes of the Valar. His folk are cursed to fail at their endeavour. * 1497: Melkor (now recalled Morgoth) attacks the Elves of Beleriand. Feanor's forces land in Beleriand and push Morgoth's forces back. Feanor dies within sight of Angband, his sons establish realms across Beleriand. The eldest, Maedhros, is captured by Morgoth. Meanwhile, a second force of Noldor, led by Fingolfin, and left behind by Feanor, goes to Beleriand by means of crossing the icebergs of Helcaraxe. * 1500: Fingolfin reaches Middle Earth and helps push Morgoth's forces back. The Sun and Moon rise for the first time. The Noldor settle in Middle Earth. The First Age of the Sun * 1''': '''The first Men awake in Hildorien to the East. * 5''': Fingon, astride Great Eagles, rescues Maedhros. * '''60: The Battle of Dagor Aglareb results in a long-standing siege of Angband. The Elves settle: Turgon in Gondolin and Finrod in Nargothrond. * 155: First Orc attack on Hithlum. * 310: Men driven west by strife with men corrupted by Morgoth, reach Beleriand and make contact with the Elves. * 375: Orcs corner a faction of Men at the Gelion-Ascar Stockade. They are eventually relieved by Caranthir. * 455: Dagor Bragollach, in which Morgoth breaks the siege and results in the deaths of Elven Lords Fingolfin, Angrod and Aegnor; and of the Lords of Men in Hador, Gundor and Bregolas. Gil Galad is sent to the Falas. * 460: A group of outlaws led by Barahir, are discovered at their hideout at Tarn Aeluin. The only survivor, Beren son of Barahir, flees south. * 464: Beren reaches Doriath and meets Luthien daughter of Elwe. * 465: Compelled by her father, he takes the Quest of the Silmaril in favour of Luthien's hand. Finrod joins him, and is killed by Sauron. Luthien rescues Beren and banishes Sauron toi Taur-nu-Fuin. * 466: Luthien and Beren manage to infilitrate Angband, cast a spell of sleep on Morgoth and retrieve a Silmaril. His hound, the werewolf Carcharoth, bites off Beren's hand with the Silmaril in it, but they are rescued by Eagles. Thingol repents and takes Beren with him on the Hunt of the Wolf, in which the Silmaril is retrieved from the slain Carcharoth, but Beren dies. Luthien forfeits her life to revive Beren, and is herself revived as a mortal. * 472: Battle of Nirnaeth Arnoidiad: Maedhros leads a union of Men, Dwarves and Elves against Morgoth, but they are defeated through superior numbers and the betrayal of the Swarthy Men. Deaths of Fingon, Huor, Gloredhel, Azaghal, Haldir, Hundar and Rian. Turgon becomes High King of the Noldor. Hurin, a leader of men, is captured by Morgoth and his kin is cursed by the Dark Lord. * 473: '''Turin son of Hurin is seperated from his pregnant mother Morwen and taken to Doriath for safety. Gil Galad and Cirdan flee to the isle of Balar as Brithombar and Eglarest are destroyed. * '''484: Turin, now a Lord of Doriath and friend of Marchwarden Beleg, accidentally leads to the death of one Saeros, and goes into exile. * 485: Turin becomes a leader of Outlaws. Over the next year, they encounter Mim, a Petty-Dwarf, and take residence in his abode in Amon Rudh. * 489: '''Beleg tracks Turin and joins his company before Mim betrays them ot the Orcs. Turin is captured but rescued by Beleg before he accidentally slays the latter. Gwindor, an Elf escaping Angband, leads Turin to Nargothrond. * '''495: Turin, now a lord of Nargothrond, participates in the Battle of Tumhalad against Glaurung, father of Dragons, which results in the sack of Nargothrond. Tuor, his cousin, escapes captivity by the Swarthy Men and finds Nevrast, where the Vala Ulmo sends him on a quest to Gondolin. * 496: Turin, fooled by the dragon, goes seeking his mother and sister in his homeland, which he finds overrun by Swarth Men. Learning that his mother and sister left for Doriath years earlier, his attempt at an uprising fails, causing him to leave in pursuit of Finduilas, the captured princess of Nargothrond. Meanwhile, Tuor finds his way to the hidden city of Gondolin. Turin's mother and sister leave to seek him, and are ambushed by Glaurung. A spell of forgetfulness is laid on Niennor, Turin's sister, and she flees into the wilderness. Turin reaches Brethil. * 498: Turin, now a leader in Brethil, weds Niniel, a woman he found in the woods. * 499: Glaurung approaches Brethil and is slain by Turin. At his deathbed, the dragon reveals Niniel to be Niennor, Turin's sister, causing her to take her own life. Turin, enraged, kills the chieftain Brandir and takes his own life. The next year, Hurin is released from Angband. * 501: Hurin, having slain Mim, brings a Necklace from Nargothrond to Thingol and then goes to Brethil, where his story and maltreatment causes strife and the destruction of the Men of Brethil. Hurin takes his own life. * 502: Thingol asks the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains to place his Silmaril in his new necklace. A dispute over payment and ownership results in the sack of Doriath by the Dwarves. Beren marshals Elves against the Dwarves. Luthien dies later that year, followed by Beren. Their son Dior inherits the throne of Doriath. * 506: Sons of Feanor attack Doriath to retrieve the Silmaril. Deaths of Dior, Nimloth, Celegorm, Curufin and Caranthir. Elwing, Dior's daughter, flees with the Silmaril to the Havens of Sirion. * 510: Gondolin's secret location is betrayed by Maeglin. The city is placed under siege in which Turgon, Ecthelion, Legolas, Glorfindel and Gothmog perish: the blades Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting are lost to the plundering Orcs. Tuor and Idril, with their son Earendil, lead an exodus through the mountains to the Havens of Sirion. Gil Galad becomes High King of the Noldor. * 534: Earendil takes a voyage to Valinor, while the sons of Feanor raid the Havens of Sirion looking for the Silmarils. Elrond and Elros, sons of Earendil and Elwing, are spared and taken in by Maglor, while Elwing flees into the sea. Ulmo gives her the shape of a bird, and so she remeets with Earendil and bearing the Silmaril allows them to cross to Valinor where they plead the Valar to serve aid against Morgoth. * 545: The War of Wrath Begins. * 590: The Battle ends with the defeat of Morgoth, who is thrust into the void, and the breaking of Beleriand, with the exception of the islands of Tol Morwen, Tol Fuin and Tol Himring. Earendil becomes the Morning Star. The Silmarils are lost, along with Maedhros and Maglor. Sauron, a Balrog, many Orcs and a few dragons, survive the wrack and flee east. The Second Age * 40: The Men of Beleriand are granted a new land on the island of Elenna or Numenore, between Middle Earth and Valinor. The Elves under Gil Galad, reside in Lindon. Sindarin Lord Oropher and his son Thranduil venture east to rule over the Wood Elves of Greenwood. Many of the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains leave for the realm of Durin's Folk in Moria, which becomes prosperous. * 500: Sauron returns to Middle Earth, settling in secret in the East. * 600: Under the rule of King Tar Elendil, Numenorean ships first reach Middle Earth again, making contact with the tribes of Men living in Eriador. * 750: Celebrimbor, a grandson of Feanor, creates the Noldorin realm of Eregion near Moria. * 882: Aldarion, heir appearant of Numenore, returns from a series of voyages to Middle Earth, and is seperated from his wife, Erendis and daughter Ancalime. He is crowned in the next year. * 892: Ancalime is proclaimed heir, the first woman to inherit the throne, changing the law of succession. * 1000: Sauron begins construction of Barad Dur. * 1075: Tar Ancalime takes the sceptre. She stops sending aid to Gil Galad, just as the High King denies the services offered by Annatar, a false identity taken by Sauron, who assumes a fair guise. Numenoreans begin to construct permanent havens in Middle Earth, dominating the local populace and deforesting Eriador for their ships. * 1350: Galadriel and Celeborn leave to Lorinand. * 1500: With Annatar's guidance, Rings of Power are forged in Eregion to help preserve the fading power of the Elves in Middle Earth. * 1600: Sauron, renouncing his alias, forges the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Barad Dur is completed. * 1693: The Three Rings of the Elves are hidden. Sauron attacks Eregion. * 1697: Sack of Eregion and Death of Celebrimbor. Moria's Doors of Durin are closed shut. Rivendell is established as a haven for Noldorin refugees. The Dark Days begin. * 1700: '''Aid from Numenore under Minastir pushes Sauron back. Sauron continues to control much of of the south and east of Middle Earth. * '''2251: Decadence sets in Numenore, as the Elvish tongues are forsaken by the court. Meanwhile, Sauron exerts the power of the One Ring over nine kings of Men in Middle Earth who wield Rings of Power, and turns them into Ringwraiths. * 2280: Havens of Umbar are founded. * 3117: Elves banned from entering Numenor, and Elvish speech is prohibited. * 3175: King Tar Palantir repents the ways of his forefathers. Civil War in Numenor. * 3225: Ar Pharazon usurps Tar Palantir, becoming the greatest in might of all Numenorean kings. * 3262: Ar Pharazon defeats Sauron and takes him prisoner to Numenor. Sauron poisons the mind of the king with promises of longevity for worshipping Morgoth with human sacrifice and compells him to assault Valinor, which he claims would grant him immortality. * 3319: Ar Pharazon's Fleet, the Great Armament, sails against Valinor. The Valar call upon Eru who causes a catacylsm which incarcerates Ar Pharazon's troops to the end of time in the Caves of the Forgotten, while the world is bent into a globe and Valinor is made inaccessible to mortals. This causes a deluge which sumberges Numenor, killing its inhabitants and the queen Miriel. The faithful, led by Elendil, flee in time to Middle Earth with a seedling of the White Tree. They establish two Numenorean kingdoms: Arnor in the North, and Gondor in the South. * 3430: The Last Alliance of Elendil and Gil Galad is formed. The Men of the White Mountains, fearing Sauron, rebuke an oath given to Isildur to come to his aid, and are cursed never to rest in peace until they have fulfilled their pledge. They gradually become the Dead Men of the Mountains. * 3434: The Battle of Dagorlad results in the death of Gil Galad and Elendil. His son, Isildur, cuts the Ring from Sauron's hand, causing the destruction of the Dark Lord's physical form. Seduced by the Ring and unwilling to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom, however, the spirt of the Dark Lord lives on. * 3436: Isildur plants the sapling of the White Tree in Minas Anor. He carries the One Ring, intending it to become an heirloom of his kingdom and bloodline. His convoy is attacked on the road through the Gladden Fields by renegade Orcs, where Isildur uses The Ring to disappear and flee. It slips off of his finger, revealing him the Orcs who kill him, and the line of kings is broken. The Ring lays on the bottom of the river Anduin. The Third Age * 490: First invasions of Easterlings into the diminion of Gondor. Steward Tarostar defeats them. * 861: Death of Earendur, king of Arnor. The realm is divided into Arthedain, Rhudaur and Cardolan. Earendur's eldest, Amlaith, becomes the first king of Arthedain. * 933: Steward Earnil I siezes Umbar. In 936, he is drowned. * 1000: The Istari - five Maiar in the shape of old Men - are sent to Middle Earth to help against the return of Sauron's minions. * 1050: Ciryaher conquers Near-Harad, and Gondor reaches the zenith of its power. Meanwhile, the Halflings first appear as an offshoot of the Northmen who live in the outskirts of Greenwood. * 1248: Minalcar defeats a large force of Easterlings, and begins construction of the Argonath at the kingdom's Northern border. * 1250: Minalcar sends his son Valacar as an emissary to the king of Rhovanion, Vidugavia. He later sires a son with a princess of Rhovanion, calling him Eldacar. * 1300: The Nazgul reappear. The Witch King founds the Kingdom of Angmar in Carn Dum and Gundabad. Orcs come down from the North, harassing the Dwarves, Skin-Changers, Wood-Elves, Rivendell and the realms of Arnor. The Halflings begin migrating westward. * 1409: The Witch King sways the kings of Rhudaur to his side and soon occupies the realm. He ravages Cardolan, and besieges the great Watchtower of Amon Sul at the edge of the Weather-Hills. There, the last prince of Cardolan and Arveleg I of Arthedain are slain, but the Palantir contained within the tower is smuggled to Fornost. * 1432: Eldacar inherits the stewardom of Gondor, his bloodline stirring a kinstrife. * 1437: Castamir takes the seat from Eldacar. The capital Osgiliath is heavily damaged in the fighting and its Palantir is lost to the Anduin. Eldacar recruits an army from Rhovanion and fights Castamir's forces at the crossings of Erui. He besieges Castamir's sons in Pelargir. When they sail away to Umbar, Eldacar retakes the city and his throne. * 1551: Steward Vinyarion defeats a Haradrim force. * 1601: Halflings settle in The Shire to the West. '''The Shire Reckoning Begins.' * '''1635': The Great Plague begins infesting the Westlands. Telemnar of Gondor perishes and Osgiliath is ruined, with the capital moving to Minas Anor. The Gondorian fortresses overlooking Mordor are abandoned. * 1810: Steward Telumehtar takes Umbar. * 1851: Angmar temporarily driven back. The Wainriders invade Gondor, taking its eastern provinces. A Gondorian fortress on Amon Lanc was presumably destroyed and abandoned at this time. Narmacil II of Gondor and Marhari of Rhovanion are slain. The Men of Rhovanion flee up the river Running to form Esgaroth, and to the Vales of the Anduin, forming the Eotheod. * 1940: Gondor and Arnor form an alliance, and the Arnorian prince Arvedui marries Firiel of Gondor. * 1944: Wainrider attacks resume. Deaths of Ondoher, Artamir, Faramir and Minohtar. * 1974: Sack of Arnor. Arvedui flees to the Blue Mountains. Angmar rules much of Eriador and the Northern vales of Anduin. * 1975: After taking refuge in the Northern Waste with the Lossoth, Arvedui takes an Elven ship which is then drowned, along with him and two Palantiri. The Ring of Barahir, his heirloom, survives after he gives it to the Lossoth. * 1976: Aranarth, son of Arvedui, becomes the first of the Dunedain Rangers of Eriador. They form the last remnant of the people of Arnor. * 1979: Bucca of Marish becomes the first Thain of the Shire. * 1980: The Dwarves delve too greedily in Khazad Dum, awakening a Balrog hidden therein, who kills the king Durin VI. * 1981: King Nain dies at the hand of the Balrog, and the Dwarves leave Moria. Amrod of Lorien and his love Nimrodel flee nearby Lorindad to the South, where they perish. Celeborn and Galadriel rule Lorindad. * 1999: Dwarven refugees establish the kingdom of Erebor. The northmen from the south form Dale. * 2002: The Nazgul capture Minas Ithil. * 2050: Earnur is slain in Minas Morgul. * 2210: Thorin I leaves Erebor for the Grey Mountains. * 2340: Hobbits under Gorhendad Oldbuck settle Buckland: The Thainhood of the Shire changes hands from the Oldbucks (now renamed Brandbucks) to the Took family under Isumbras Took I. Meanwhile, Angmar launches an attack against the Woodland Realm, which results in the deaths of two Silvan Elves, parents of the newborn Elf, Tauriel, who is taken in by Thranduil. The Elvenking launches an assault on Angmar, in which the Elvenqueen is captured and killed. The Woodland Realm drops from the fight against the Witch King. * 2463: As the power of Angmar grows, Deagol and Smeagol, members of the Riverfolk Hobbits who remained in the Gladden Fields, find the One Ring. Smeagol murders Deagol for it. * 2470: Smeagol, corrupted by the Ring and banished, hides under the Misty Mountains. He is consumed by the Ring, becoming the creature Gollum. * 2475: Boromir I defends the ruins of Osgiliath and defeats the forces of Minas Morgul. The Nazgul flee to Angmar. * 2480: Gundabad Orcs settle in the Misty Mountains, most notably Moria. Goblin-town is founded near the High Pass, above Gollum's lair. The Skin-changers are driven from the Mountains to the Wilderland. Some time later, Azog the Orc captures most of the skin-changers, torturing them for sport. * 2501: Eorl becomes lord of the Eotheod, and tames the first of the Mearas, the horse Felarof. * 2510: The Balchoth attack Gondor from the east. The steward Cirion calls upon Eorl before his army is cornered in the Wold by both Balchoth and Orcs. Eorl and his forces arrive and defeat the Balchoth on the fields of Celebrant. Cirion gives Eorl's kin the land of Calenardhon, where they create the kingdom of Rohan. * 2540: Elves of Rivendell, forces from Gondor and the Dunedain Rangers join forces to overthrow Angmar, and entomb the nine Ringwraiths in the High Fells of Rhudaur with all their possesions. The Watchful Peace begins, '''and '''the White Council is formed. * 2570: Baldor, prince of Rohan, enters the Paths of the Dead, where he perishes. Aldor ends up taking the throne of Rohan. * 2589: Dragons kill Dain I and Fror in the Grey Mountains. By now, four of the Dwarven Rings of Power are consumed by dragons. * 2590: Thror returns to Erebor. Gror goes to the Iron Hills. Sometime later, Thror begins hoarding treasure beyond measure or practical use. He begins construction of a huge statue in his likeness, to be cast out of pure gold. In mining for the necessary gold, the Arkenstone is found and prized by Thror as the King's Jewel. * 2670: Tobold Hornblower first cultivates Pipeweed in the Shire. * 2683: Great Smials constructed. * 2710: Dunlendings capture Isengard, since abandoned by Gondor. * 2747: Goblins invade Eriador and enter the Shire. Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took, astride a horse, charges their ranks at Greenfields, swinging the head of their king Golfimbul and winning the battle. * 2758: Umbar attacks Gondor. The Long Winter begins and the Brandywine freezes, allowing wolves to invade the Shire until Gandalf the Wizard comes to the Hobbits' aid. In Rohan, King Helm Hammerhand insults and kills the Dunlending lord Freca, resulting in a Dunlending invasion that sees the Rohirrim flee to Helm's Deep, where Helm eventually dies. His cousin Frealaf launches an assault, driving the Dunlendings back. * 2759: Saruman, head of the Istari, settles in Isengard. * 2770: Sack of Erebor and Dale by Smaug. Thorin leads an exodus, but his people are refused shelter by Thranduil. They leave for Dunland. * 2799: Battle of Moria: Thror leads the Dwarves back to Moria where they encounter the Orcs under Azog. Death of Thror, Frerin, Fundin and capture of Thrain and the last Dwarven Ring. Thorin defeats Azog and leads his people to a phyrric victory, becoming king of Durin's Folk. He leads them back to Dunland. * 2802: Thorin leads his people to the Blue Mountains. * 2845: Gandalf passes through Moria at this time. * 2848: Gerontius Took becomes Thain of the Shire. * 2881: As the Long Valley turned into desolation, Smaug is no longer seen outside the gate of Erebor, which is sealed. By this stage, the old stone-built city of Esgaroth lay in ruins, and a smaller wooden town is set in its place. * 2885: Haradrim attack on Gondor. Folcred and Fasted of Rohan die in service of the steward. * 2901: Ithilien depopluated and Henneth Annun constructed. * 2912: Fell Winter. Floods in Minhiriath and Enedhwaith destroy Tharbad. * 2915: Aragorn is born. He is later taken by his mother Gilraen to Rivendell, where she thinks he would be safe. * 2940: Thorin goes searching for Thrain in Dunland. Azog learns of his approach and sends out warrants for his head, which Gandalf intercepts. He meets Thorin and - fearing rising darkness - hatches the idea of the Quest of Erebor. * 2941: The Quest of Erebor: ** Bilbo Baggins joins Thorin and Company on their quest to Erebor. Meanwhile, Sauron reappears as The Necromancer in the ruins of Dol Guldur and infests the Greenwood with malice, as discovered by the wizard Radagast, who rushes to inform Gandalf. ** The company encounter Trolls, are chased by Azog's Warg riders and arrive at Rivendell. The White Council is gathered to debate the Quest of Erebor as well as news of Trolls coming down from the Ettenmoors and Wargs and Orcs attacking the company. Saruman, head of the Istari, dismisses the rumours of The Necromancer, reasoning he's but a "mortal man". Even the appearance of a Morgul Blade, belonging to the Witch King of Angmar, doesn't persuade him. The company leaves for the Edge of the Wild, eventually reaching the High Pass and beholding Stone Giants. * 2942: The Quest of Erebor continues: ** The company braves the High Pass and Stone Giants only to be trapped in Goblin-town, which they find infested. Bilbo falls down to Gollum's lair during combat with a Goblin imp. The Ring, sensing the call of its master, falls off of Gollum's person and is taken by Bilbo instead. Gandalf slays the Goblin-king and the Dwarves flee Goblintown before Azog attacks them. The Eagles deliver them to the Carrock. They reach Beorn's House and pass through Mirkwood before Spiders catch them. They manage to break free, but are caught by Legolas. Bilbo frees them by use of barrels with which they float down the Forest River, avoiding Bolg and his Orcs as they do. Tauriel, infatuated with Kili, a member of the company, follows them hoping to heal Kili of a poisonous wound. They company are smuggled into Laketown by Bard, a descendant of Dale's Lords. Thorin convinces the greedy Master to help them in their quest. ** Before Mirwkood, Gandalf leaves to the High Fells, finding them breached. He investigates Dol Guldur where he finds a cpatured Thrain, and learns of an alliance between Azog, Sauron and Smaug, with the intention of using Smaug against the Free People in Sauron's service, and using Erebor to secure control over the lands of Angmar. Sauron defeats and incarcerates Gandalf. ** Bilbo enters Erebor looking for the Arkenstone, but alerts Smaug. Thorin, gradually consumed by zeal and greed, eventually goes to help him while Bard tries to prepare the last Black Arrow to shoot Smaug with it. Tauriel heals Kili (who remained in Laketown) and Legolas chases Bolg out of Laketown. The Dwarves try to sumberge Smaug in molten gold during the Battle of the Forges, but fail. Thinking Bilbo to be a man of Laketown, Smaug leaves to destroy it. Bard slays Smaug and leads refugees to Dale. Thorin becomes king, but is fervently looking for the Arkenstone, concealed by Bilbo. Thorin refuses to aid the refugees, which strike an alliance with Thranduil who wishes to reclaim the White Gems of Lasgalen in memory of the Elvenqueen. The Siege of Erebor begins, as Thorin sends Roac the Raven to summon Dain Ironfoot from the Iron Hills. ** Azog leads the Dol Guldur Army towards Erebor while Bolg goes to muster the army of Gundabad, espied by Legolas and Tauriel. Gandalf is rescued by the White Council, who banish Sauron to Rhun: The War of the Ring begins. ** Dain's Dwarves begin fighting with the Woodland Army just as Azog appears and the warring parties unite to fight his Orcs. Thorin refuses to help until Dwalin intervenes and helps him snap out of his dragon sickness. Thorin leads the Dwarves to regain the upper hand in the valley, before leading a charge towards Azog's command post in Ravenhill. Azog sets a trap which costs the lives of Fili and Kili - Thorin's heirs. Thorin slays Azog and Legolas slays Bolg. The Battle of the Five Armies ceased. The Orcs of Moria and Gundabad are decimated, and Erebor and Dale are reclaimed. Bilbo returns to The Shire with a chest of Troll gold. * 2942: Over the next sixty years, Gandalf roams Middle Earth in the cause against Sauron. Saruman, using a Palantir found in Isengard to keep watch over Sauron, becomes desperate as he sees the might of the Dark Lord, and is swayed to his side. Legolas goes to join Aragorn. * 2957: Under the pseudonym of Thorongil, Aragorn sees Minas Tirith, rides to War with Thengel of Rohan. * 2980: Thorongil leads an assault on Umbar, destroying its fleet and killing its lord in single combat, ceasing the Corsair-Gondor Wars. He leaves for Harad before returning north. * 2989: Balin leads a company, including Ori and Oin, to reclaim Moria which he thinks deserted after the Battle of the Five Armies. They prosper for several years before Sauron's rising strength lead Goblins and Orcs to infest the mountains once more, destroying the colony some time before 3001. * 3000: Bilbo's Farewell Party. Gandalf suspects the Ring has a negative influence on Bilbo, and coerces him to leave it behind for Frodo, as he leaves for Erebor. Frodo takes the Ring and Gandalf embarkes on the Hunt for Gollum with Aragorn. The creature is however captured first by Sauron, revealing to the Dark Lord the whereabouts of The Ring and the name of its owner. On his trail, Gandalf sees Mordor repopulated and goes to Minas Tirith, uncovering the accoun of Isildur and the secret to ascertaining the Ring's identity. Boromir fends Sauron off at Osgiliath. * 3001: The Quest of the Ring: ** Returning the Shire, Gandalf uncovers the Ring as The One Ring and sends Frodo and his gardener Samwise Gamgee on the Quest of the Ring. He goes to consult Saruman the White, who incarcerates him. ** The Hobbits, joined by cousins Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, flee the Nazgul, through the Old Forest to Bree, where they meet Aragorn. They cross Eriador, but are attacked at Weathertop where the Witch King wounds Frodo with a Morgul Blade. Arwen helps Frodo to the Fords of Bruinen, where she summons the waters to sweep the Nazgul away. ** Elrond heals Frodo, who remeets with his friends, a rescued Gandalf, and an aging Bilbo. Gimli and Legolas arrive from Erebor and the Woodland Realm as Elrond's call, as does Boromir of Gondor. The Council of Elrond reaches the conclusion that the Ring must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, and Frodo takes the role of Ringbearer. He is joined by Gandalf, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir as the Fellowship of the Ring. * 3002: The Fellowship of the Ring joins the Quest: ** The Fellowship cross Eregion, plagued by Saruman's spies, and are unable to cross Caradhras due to Saruman's summoning of a snowstorm. They go through Moria, encountering the Watcher in the Water and finding Balin's tomb before having a skirmish with Goblins and a Cave Troll. The Balrog appears and is held back by Gandalf at the bridge. Both fall to the chasm. The Fellowship goes to Lorien and down the river Anduin where Boromir, seduced, tries to take the Ring. Frodo decides to go to Mordor alone with Sam, followed by Gollum. Boromir dies at an Uruk attack that results in the capturing of Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli give chase to rescue them. Meanwhile, Saruman attacks the Rohirrim, and mortally wounds their heir, Theodred, in the Battle of the Fords of Isen. ** Poisoning the mind of the king through his spy, Grima Wormtongue, he has Theoden's nephew, Eomer, banished. Eomer's men slay the Uruks who carry Merry and Pippin, and the Hobbits flee into Fangorn forest where they meet Treebeard. On their trail, Aragorn meets Gandalf, who triumphed over the Balrog and was revived as Gandalf the White. He leads them to Rohan where he heals Theoden and advises him to go to war with Saruman's army. Theoden opts to go to Helm's Deep, as Gandalf leaves to call back Eomer. Frodo and Sam capture and tame Gollum who leads them to the Black Gate and - when that fails - to a "secret way". ** Aragorn is presumed dead at a Warg attack en route to Helm's Deep. Elrond convinces Arwen to leave for the Grey Havens but is also convinced to send an Elvish army, led by Haldir, to Helm's Deep. Frodo and Sam are caught by Faramir of Gondor, who nearly takes the Ring once he learns of it from Gollum. The Battle of Helm's Deep is very nearly lost before Gandalf appears with reinforcements. Merry and Pippin convince the Ents to attack Isengard. Meanwhile, Gollum blames Frodo for his mistreatment at the hands of Faramir's men, and returns to his evil ways, conspiring to lead the Hobbits to their doom. ** Interrogating Saruman before he's killed by an enraged Grima, the company learns of an emminent attack and retrieve the Palantir. Pippin looks through it, gaining knowledge of Sauron's intention to strike Minas Tirith. Gandalf takes Pippin to the White City, while Arwen repents her choice to leave and returns to convince her father to reforge Narsil for Aragorn. Denethor, in grief, is unwilling to accept the help of Theoden, even as Faramir is driven back from Osgiliath. Gollum seeds mistrust between Frodo and Sam. Pippin lights the beacons that call upon the Rohirrim, who muster at Dunarrow. There, Elrond arrives giving Aragorn the sword and sending him to recruit the Dead Men of the Mountains to his cause and intercept the Umbar Corsairs. The siege of Minas Tirith begins as Theoden leads his people towards Minas Tirith, unaware that Merry and the princess Eowyn have secretly joined the men. Gollum manages to infuriate Sam, to the point that Frodo leaves Sam behind. Meanwhile, a battle is fought in Dale and before the Gates of Erebor, costing the lives of Kings Brand and Dain. ** Aragorn intercepts the corsairs, while Frodo enters Shelob's lair. The spider catches him, before Sam returns to the rescue. Orcs capture Frodo and Sam follows with the intention of liberating him. Minas Tirith is breached, and Gandalf is defeated by the Witch King. The Rohirrim arrive and route the Orcs before taking on the Haradrim. The Witch King slays Theoden, but is killed by Eowyn. Sam rescues Frodo and they enter Mordor. Aragorn hatches a plan to distract Sauron's forces at the Black Gate to give Frodo a chance to reach Mount Doom. The Mouth of Sauron tries to convince them that Frodo is dead, and the men of Gondor and Rohan go into the battle in desperation. In Mount Doom, Frodo succumbs and claims the Ring for himself, before Gollum bites his ring-ringer off and takes the Ring. Frodo fights him for it, and they fall. The Ring is destroyed and Frodo is pulled to safety by Sam. Sauron is undone, and Gandalf rescues the Hobbits with the aid of the Eagles. The War of the Ring ends. The Fourth Age Certain events are missing. * 1''': '''Aragorn is crowned King of the Reunited Kingdom and marries Arwen. The Hobbits return home, but Frodo is still longing for The Ring and tormented by his injuries. Sam becomes mayor of Hobbiton and marries Rosie Cotton. On March 25, their daughter Elanor is born, Gimli becomes lord of Aglarond. Over the next couple of years, Aragorn and Eomer are busy subduing some Easterlings and Haradrim that remained hostile to Gondor. * 4': Frodo finishes his writing of The Red Book of Westmarch. Frodo leaves with Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel and Celeborn on the Last Ship. Sam, Merry and Pippin returns home. *'6: Pippin and Merry marry Diamond of Long-cleeve and Estella Bolger. 10 Birth of Faramir, son of Diamond and Pippin. * 63: Rosie Cotton dies. Sam leaves for the shores of the sea, leaving the Red Book with Eleanor. * 123: Aragorn dies, and is laid to rest with Merry and Pippin. Arwen endures for another year, struck by grief and lonliness. Legolas and Gimli leave for the West. Eldarion, son of Aragorn, becomes king. Subsequent Ages During the following ages, the history of Middle Earth morphs into that of the world as we know it. A copy of the Red Book is uncovered by Professor JRR Tolkien and translated from Common Tongue to English. Trivia Differences to the books While most changes from the books refer to individual scenes, there are some changes to the very chronology of Middle Earth: * The Battle of Dagorlad is compressed so as to be completed within 3434, whereas in the book it consitutes a prolonged siege. * Per the screenplay, the end of the Second Age comes not with Sauron's defeat - as it does in the book - but with the death of Isildur. This death results not only in the disappearance of The Ring, but also in the breaking of the line of kings. Legolas explicitly speaks of Isildur as "The Last King of Gondor." This makes all the later kings of Gondor from the book into stewards within the context of the films' chronology. * Angmar's defeat is postponed by several centuries, and its this defeat - not Sauron's earlier banishment from Amon Lanc - which ushers the Watchful Peace. * Thorin's meeting with Gandalf in Bree, said to occur in March 2941 in the book, seems to have been pushed to autumn of 2940, as it is said to have happened 12 months before the company's arrival to Wilderland, and sees Bree under torrential rain. The Quest takes longer than it does in the book - a full 13 months. This seems to push the timing of certain points along the course of the quest (namely, the opening of the Hidden Door at Durin's Day, considered by Tolkien to have occured in October 2941) to later date, to make plausible Bilbo's return on May 2942. * Bilbo's Birthday is moved from 3001 to 3000, or Shire Reckoning 1400. * A 18-year gap between Bilbo's 111th birthday and the embarking of the Quest of the Ring is condensed to one year. * Aragorn's date of birth is changed to conform to his age being 87 at TA 3002. * The Fourth Age begins with Aragorn's coronation in mid-3002, rather than in late TA 3021. This shifts the chronology of the Fourth Age. In particular, Frodo's departure to the Grey Havens takes longer, as both Eleanor and Frodo have been born by that stage. Gaps and inconsistencies The six films tell the story in a nonlienar manner, using flashbacks and flashforwards to show events all across the timeline from the mid-second-age to the early fourth age. Events of the First Age or earlier are mostly hinted at. The bulk of the plot of each film is said to begin almost instantenously after the end of the previous one. Rather, gaps of time usually occur over the course of the films: * The chronology of the Quest of Erebor seems hinged on there being a longer time span that what seems in watching the film, set between the company's departure of Rivendell and their capture in Goblintown. Originally, the entirety of the High Fells sequence was supposed to occur here, furthering the idea of it being several weeks before the company reached the High Pass. Other places where large periods of time pass seem to be Mirkwood, and the return journey of Bilbo and of Frodo. * Another case of time jump seems to occur after Buckelberry Ferry. The chapters pertaining to the Hobbits' passage through the Old Forest, meeting with Tom Bombadil and possibly their encounter with a Barrow Wight, is never shown. But, per screenwriter Philippa Boyens, its simply a chapter that's left unshown to the audience, rather than cut from the story. * There's one noteworthy inconsistenty in the timeline within the events of The Return of the King, when Faramir informs Gandalf of having met Frodo and Sam not "two days ago". This was more plausible in an earlier cut of the film, where Faramir's retreat of Osgiliath occured concurrent with Gandalf's and Pippin's arrival at Minas Tirith (and is the reason Pippin is present at the event), but not in the final version of the film. Category:Events Category:War of the Ring Events Category:The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Category:The Lord of the Rings Category:The Hobbit Category:The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Category:The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Category:The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Category:The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Category:The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King